SOCIAL

Hawaii Police union chief would rather die than enforce gay marriages

Hawaii police union president Tenari Maafala has told the state legislature that he would rather die than enforce a proposed state law allowing same-sex couples to marry – although in what circumstance this would be necessary remains unclear

The president of Hawaii’s police union has told his state’s legislature that he would rather be killed than enforce a same-sex marriage law being proposed by lawmakers – though as it falls outside of the criminal code it remains unclear why he would ever have to.

Tenari Maafala told the Hawaii state legislature on Monday, ‘you would have to kill me to disrespect and dishonor my father in heaven.’

‘You would have to kill me to impose these types of laws upon my children and my nieces and my nephews. That’s what I’m saying.’

‘The bottom line is, the day I retire and bills like this are introduced, I will never, ever honor such law.’

Why Maafala would have to enforce laws as a retired police officer remains unclear.

Maafala then bizarrely accused Democratic Hawaii state Governor Neil Abercrombie of betraying Hawaii’s LGBT community with the bill.

‘An injustice has been served on the LGBT people,’ Maafala told lawmakers.

‘He has not given them a chance to put something on the table to address their needs.’

It is unclear what Maafala meant as Hawaii already has civil unions for same-sex couples.